The Way We Pray

“Be specific, be purposeful, and pray for all kinds of people because this is good and it pleases God our Savior. ”

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

(1 Timothy 2:1-7)

Who

Paul has written to his young friend Timothy. Who does Paul encourage to pray? Who does Paul want them praying for? All kinds of people. Blonde people, short people, tall people, rich people, poor people, teachers, students, family, friends, even people we don’t like. Christians are told to pray for every kind of person. When I was growing up, I would complain about these girls I didn’t like. They were too flirty, they weren’t nice enough, they weren’t athletic like me- they were different. I knew that as a Christian I was supposed to love God and love others, but loving them felt impossible. I went to my mom and asked her, “How am I even supposed to love them? I don’t like them at all. What am I supposed to do?

What

Well Paul tells us in this first verse, if we love God then we spend time talking to Him and as we talk to Him we talk about people. Talking about people to God is what we do when we pray for them.

My mom taught me to pray for them. Gross. Pray for our church missionaries, sure. Pray for my siblings, of course. Pray for my friends, absolutely. Pray for girls I didn’t like, no thank you. That is what Christians do though, we submit to God. We learn to love people we do not want to love. And the first, and easiest, step to loving someone is learning to pray for them. Do you have to go out of your way to pray for someone? Do you have to even get out of bed to pray for someone? No. You can pray the same way you text your best friend, “Hey, I just thought about this person. She hurt my feelings, but I don’t want to be upset anymore. Can you help me calm down?” You can send text message prayers up to Jesus all the time. Whenever you think of that person or see that person you can pray for them. And just like you wait for a message back from that friend, look for God to answer your prayer.

One reason my mom always encouraged me to pray for those girls was because it changed my own heart towards them. When I was praying for Hannah every night, I started to ask her how she was every time I saw her. Slowly, we began to have conversations and I began to realize that there was a lot going on in her life that I had never known about. Then I started praying that I would be a good friend to her. I prayed that I would be a blessing in her life, that she would see God at work even in the dark things she was going through. Praying changed my heart toward her. My text message prayers to God about her turned into longer conversations with Him about someone I truly began to care for.

If there is something or someone in your life right now that you are struggling with here is what you should do: pray. I know it sounds too simple, but prayer works. If you don’t believe me, write out your prayer and look at it later you will see God answering your prayers. If you are wondering why should I pray? Let me answer with what Paul says:

That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

(1st Timothy 2:2-6)

Believers pray for others because we want them to know God. Believers pray for others because we know that He loves them. We pray for others so that we can learn to love others. We pray for others so that we can learn. We pray because we know the truth that God answers prayers. We pray so that our hearts can be conformed to God’s will, rather than just wanting what we want. We pray because we know that prayer transforms ourselves and others. Who? All people. He wants all kinds of people to know Him. He sent Jesus for anyone who will believe in Him. Who is it that loves all of Creation? Who is it that wants us to have lives of joy and peace? Who is it that we can talk to about anything and everything? The One God. The One and only true God. If you don’t know Him yet, I want to encourage you that He is waiting and that He loves you. If you know this truth, then let it redefine how you pray. Be specific, be purposeful, and pray for all kinds of people because this is good and it pleases God our Savior.